2020 Tampa Bay Rays Preview: Projected rotation, starting lineup, prospects, win total
SportsLine's John Bollman went 14-1 on his MLB win total bets last season. Here he previews the Rays and tells you whether to go Over or Under 90 wins.
Tampa Bay Rays
2019 record: 96-66
Record in one-run games: 23-16
O/U win total from Willam Hill: 90
Key Additions: Hunter Renfroe, Jose Martinez, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo
Key Losses: Tommy Pham, Emilio Pagan, Travis d'Arnaud, Matt Duffy
The Rays had a lot of turnover in the offseason, most notably trading Tommy Pham and Emilio Pagan away. They were able to add Hunter Renfroe, Jose Martinez, and Japanese prospect Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, along with plenty of prospects slated to debut this season.
Projected Rotation
1) Blake Snell
2) Charlie Morton
3) Tyler Glasnow
4) Ryan Yarbrough
5) Brendan McKay
The Rays should actually have full seasons of each of these starting pitchers, along with plenty of starting pitching depth. Everyone returns from the 2019 season, with McKay slated to get the fifth rotation spot. They have Trevor Richards and Yonny Chirinos as depth guys, and they return just about everyone from their top five bullpen last season.
Fantasy-relevant relievers
Nick Anderson (projected 36 saves, 2.98 ERA)
Diego Castillo (projected 4 saves, 3.31 ERA)
Major League-ready prospects
Wander Franco (SS), Vidal Brujan (MINF), Brent Honeywell (SP)
Projected Lineup
1) Jose Martinez
2) Brandon Lowe
3) Austin Meadows
4) Yandy Diaz
5) Ji-Man Choi
6) Hunter Renfroe
7) Mike Zunino
8) Willy Adames
9) Kevin Kiermaier
This lineup has a slightly different look with Jose Martinez and Hunter Renfroe in there. Tommy Pham is out the door, but the Rays like Jose Martinez to fill that absence, along with some of their younger guys taking the next step. Renfroe will provide some much-needed pop further down in the lineup, and Wander Franco will be able to slide right in at shortstop when he is ready to come up.
Key bench players
Yoshimoto Tsutsugo, Joe Wendle, Manuel Margot
Should you go Over or Under on Tampa Bay's regular-season win total? And what are the top win total plays you can make for 2020? ... Join SportsLine right now to see John Bollman's MLB win total picks, all from the former Blue Jays front-office employee who went 14-1 last year!